Education Community

Pune: It’s been a question for a lot of students and parents as to when schools will reopen. Some have been hoping for normalcy to return, while some are still skeptical to send their children to schools due to COVID-19 concerns. However, in a decision taken at a cabinet meeting today, the Maharashtra government decided to reopen schools in the state for all classes from December 1, 2021. According to the decision, schools situated in urban areas will resume for classes one to seven, while schools in rural localities will resume for classes one to four. In Maharashtra, schools are conducting offline classes and exams for students from classes 8 to 12, including the city of Mumbai – which had witnessed the highest number of COVID-19 cases during the initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, schools in rural areas in the state have also been conducting offline classes for classes 5 to 12. Therefore, with the decision taken in today’s meeting, schools will resume offline classes for students of all classes from December 1, 2021. COVID-19 protocols will have to be followed strictly to avoid any further spread of the virus in the state. Source: India Today

The Supreme Court (SC) has decided to take up the hearing of the plea challenging the 27% reserved quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and 10% for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category today. The reserved categories mentioned above have 27% overall reserved seats for admission to postgraduate (PG) medical seats through NEET. The petitioners have sought to quash the July 29 notification announcing 27 per cent reservation for OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for EWS in the all-India quota (AIQ) starting 2021-22 academic session. NEET PG counselling for 50% AIQ seats was scheduled to begin from October 2021 but the MCC had to postponed the entire schedule. In the matter, the last hearing was done by a Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Vikram Nath and BV Nagarathna. Along with the hearing, an affidavit was also submitted to the SC saying that the counselling process will not begin until the matter is clear and the same income criteria was justified or determining the eligibility for EWS, OBC candidates. The SC had questioned the Centre as to what exercise was undertaken to fix the annual income eligibility of Rs 8 lakh for the EWS category. Meanwhile, the Centre on October 26, 2021 had clarified to the apex court that the principle of fixing the amount is rational and in keeping with Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution. Source: The Indian Express

When it comes to government efforts to ensure gender equality, the most common concerns are primarily those related to preventing violence or installing gender-neutral toilets. Kerala has moved things a step farther, promoting gender equality in the region. And, while a part of the population was up in arms over a teachers’ education manual aimed at making the nation’s schools more responsive to and inclusive of all genders, the current PTA president, Vivek V, who was also on the PTA executive committee in 2018 who made the decision, told PTI that it wanted all children to have the same level of autonomy. We wanted all students to wear the same uniform to ensure they were allowed to move freely. It was a big hit, giving us the confidence to apply it to all other classes, Vivek said. During curriculum reform, the LP school demonstrated an excellent work, and the government would continue to promote such gender-inclusive practices. These lessons need not be limited to textbooks. The noble move by Valayanchirangara LP School is admirable. According to the minister, the state government is fully behind the idea of a single gender uniform for the students, which is a step toward ensuring equality in the classroom, and the school’s principal, K P Suma, said the students are enthusiastic about the new uniform and that they will be more comfortable and confident in participating in extra-curricular activities as a result of the PTA. After reviewing several styles, Mukundan said that we discussed the issue with the teachers and students and created this uniform. After considering various options, we made the leap to lengthen the shorts and make a 3/4th for all the students. This was first reported among pre-primary students. The girls uniform also has pockets, she explained. A mother who did not wish to be identified told that now her daughter does not have to worry about participating in any physical activities like running, jumping, or dancing, for example. Our parents used to remind us to be vigilant when participating in many activities, including tennis and dancing because skirts are not suitable for such activities. Now I am glad that my daughter will not be faced with the same difficulties as me and can do whatever she wishes without having to worry about her suit getting in the way, she said. In the last five years, the number of students enrolling in the program has steadily increased. Nevertheless, a proposal for a regulation on this has not been proposed, according to higher education minister R Bindu, who said that dressing one’s own is a personal affair and that such behavior, in the second week of November, is unconstitutional. Source: PTI

Pratham, a spearheading civil society organisation committed to working on the nature of schooling and education for oppressed kids in India and across the world, has been granted the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 2021. “The 2021 Prize is awarded to Pratham for its pioneering work over more than a quarter century in seeking to ensure that every child has access to quality education, for its innovative use of digital technology to deliver education for its programs to provide skills to young adults, for its regular evaluation of the quality of education, and for its timely response in enabling children to learn during the COVID-19 related school closures,” read a statement from Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. Set up in 1995 by Dr. Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambay, it began work in Mumbai slums setting up local area-based pre-schools and offering medicinal instruction for understudies lingering behind in their classes. “In basic education, Pratham develops low-cost and replicable innovations, working with the government and engaging the community to improve learning outcomes,” the Trust said. Its yearly Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), in view of studying 600,000 country Indian youngsters, is currently utilized as a model to evaluate training results and learning inadequacies in 14 nations more than three landmasses. “Pratham seeks to prevent children from dropping out of school, with special programs especially for girls and women aimed at giving them a second chance to complete their education,” the Trust further mentioned. The jury was headed by former Chief Justice of India TS Thakur. The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development was initiated in the memory of the former prime minister by a trust in her name in 1986. It comprises a financial honour of 25 lakhs alongside a citation. The honour is given to people or associations who pursue guaranteeing worldwide harmony and improvement, guaranteeing that logical revelation is utilized to add the extent of the opportunity and better humankind, and creating new international economic order. Source: NDTV

New Delhi: Lakhs of law aspirants give the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) every year. From the year 2022, the entrance will occur twice a year for students aiming to get into National Law Universities (NLUs). The official notice presented by the NLUs have also declared the examination dates for CLAT 2022 and 2023. According to the notice, they have announced to reduce the counselling fee of CLAT 2022-23. The amount is as follows: • For reserved category students – Rs 20,000 • For un-reserved category students – Rs 30,000 (Previous – Rs 50,000) The decision comes from the as the consequence of the discussions held by the Annual Executive Committee and the General Body meetings of the consortiumat the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. Examination Dates As per the notice released by the NLU consortium, CLAT 2022 will be held on May 08, 2022 and the CLAT 2023 will take place on December 18, 2022. Consortium Ensured Privacy of Candidates Before sharing any personal information with any university or the third party, the consortium ensured to secure the personal and official details of the students. Source- India Today

Gautam Budh Nagar police launched two mobile vans on Sunday on the occasion of Children’s Day with the aim of educating underprivileged children who have not been put in schools or have dropped out. According to officials, the initiative ‘Nanhe Parinde’, in collaboration with HCL Foundation, aims to provide alternative avenues of education to children in slums and vulnerable environments. Presently, four such vans are operating in the district. The vans, under Nanhe Parinde initiative, are equipped with books, LCD screens, sound systems, CCTV cameras and sanitization infrastructure among other facilities. The initiative, supported by HCL Foundation and Chetna NGO, was originally launched on January 24 this year. Through this initiative, children are first introduced to the concept of schools and then put into mainstream education. As part of the initiative, two such vans were already operational in the district. ‘Nanhe Parinde’ will help vulnerable children with a safe space where they would receive alternative education, arts and crafts, training in self-defence, gender and inclusion, co-curricular activities, and sports, nutrition through a specifically designed curriculum, officials said. Police said with the help of this initiative,108 out-of-school children have been brought into the fold of education system, of whom 69 have been enrolled in local schools and 39 in OBE (Open Basic Education) category. “These children have improved their life by learning new life skills such as child rights, safe and unsafe touch, leadership and planning, decision making, and self-awareness,” said a statement by Noida police. “This effort will further protect the children from getting into conflict with law and will empower them to follow their dreams and contribute to the nation building. These children are the future of our country and together, we need to nurture and support their hidden talent from an early age to help them become responsible citizens,” said Alok Singh, commissioner of police, Gautam Budh Nagar. Nidhi Pundir, director of HCL Foundation, said with this initiative, they have been able to bring a positive transformation in the lives of many children. “The success of the programmes in the first phase propelled us to expand the initiative by adding two new mobile education and protection vans,” she said. Sanjay Gupta, director of Chetna NGO said, “We have designed these vans keeping in mind all the needs of street children. These vans are also equipped with the necessary infrastructure required to maintain Covid appropriate behaviour, security cameras, seats, nutrition packets, and stationery to provide quality education to children,” he said. The vans will visit different areas and connect with 50-60 students every day.

The Delhi University has released guidelines for open book examinations that will commence from November 30 which state that students who have opted for the physical mode can also take the exam from their home. However, those who have opted for the online mode of exams, cannot choose the physical mode of examination. The last date for filling up the examination forms is November 18 and it might be extended, according to an official. The guidelines stated that the colleges should upload the mobile numbers and email-id of the nodal officers on the college website so that students can reach them in case of any query during the exam. The students have been given two options — physical mode (from the college) and remote mode (from home) by using ICT-based facilities. “Those who have opted for the option of writing exam by physical mode will have the choice of writing it through remote mode but not vice-versa. The college will provide the necessary infrastructure in compliance with the MHA, UGC guidelines in view of Covid-19,” the guidelines said. The students shall be provided all the facilities by the college for taking the open book exam in physical mode. They will have to bring their own A4 size sheets. The duration of the exam shall be four hours, including one hour for scanning the answer sheet in the PDF/JPEG format and uploading on the portal. Differently-abled students will be given six hours. In case students face technical issues while uploading their answer sheets, they can submit their answer sheet beyond the stipulated time limit with documentary evidence for which an additional one hour will be given. The cases of delayed submission will be sent to the review committee and their evaluation will depend on the decision of the committee, according to the guidelines. The delayed submission might also cause a delay in declaration of results for such candidates. In a related development, the Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB) postponed the examinations of the third and fifth semester students till further orders. The exams were supposed to begin from November 30. The NCWEB is a non-formal system of obtaining a degree from Delhi University with lectures being delivered only on the weekends. Only women students residing in the National Capital Territory of Delhi can enrol themselves as students of the board. Source: PTI

The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE) has released the HP TET 2021 admit cards. Candidates can download their respective admit cards from the official website of HPBOSE, ‘hpbose.org’ . As per the official notification, HPBOSE will conduct the TGT (Arts) TET and Shastri TET on November 13, 2021, and TGT (Non-Medical) TET and Language teacher TET on November 14, 2021. Candidates can click here to read the full notification. HP TET 2021: Steps to download the admit card Step 1: Visit the official website, i.e., hpbose.org. Step 2: On the homepage, click on the link that reads, ‘ click here to download admit card TET- November 2021′. Step 3: A new page will appear on the screen. Step 4: Enter the asked credentials. Step 5: Your admit card will appear on the screen. Step 6: Download it and take a printout for future reference. Candidates can click here for the direct link to check and download their respective admit cards. Source: The news has been published by India Today Web Desk.

UK’s Wellington College International and India’s Unison Group have entered a partnership to open premium schools in India. The college had announced this partnership last month. The schools will share the values, ethos, enduring quality and ambition of Wellington College, while combining the very best of British and Indian education, Wellington College said in an official statement. “The long-term strategy is to open a group of schools across India. The first school will open in Pune (opening 2023) and a second to be confirmed soon. We are looking to grow the number of schools, but at a pace where we can ensure the quality and exclusivity (rather than quantity) of provision,” said Anuj Aggarwal, Co-Founder, Unison Education Foundation. “Wellington College International Pune will provide an alternative to the current schools in Pune. Wellington’s focus will be on delivering all-round excellence,” Aggarwal said. Wellington College International (WCI) Pune will be a coeducational day and boarding school for ages 2-18 years with a student strength of around 800. There are currently six schools in the WCI family of schools, with two outstanding partners in China and Thailand serving over 5,000 students. Each school is a recognised leader in its region and delivers world class academic results and university placements, including Oxbridge and Ivy League. Unison Group is a premium education provider in India with four education institutions in Dehradun and Delhi NCR, including Unison World School, one of India’s leading girls’ boarding schools. Unison Group institutions are known for their quality and academic rigour. “We see this as a wonderful opportunity for the students in India to attain a Wellington College education in their home country and go on to access the top universities of the world,” mentioned Mr. Aggarwal WCI is an international schools’ group. It is a subsidiary of the Wellington College, founded under the British Royal Charter in 1853, and a leading UK day and boarding school. Source: PTI

The schools in Delhi resume for all classes with 50% limit from Monday after the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be less serious. As per the Directorate of Education circular, heads of schools ought to guarantee that students go to the school only with parental consent. It is to guarantee that close to 50 percent of the students to be called to schools. As the circular mentioned, the time table is to be made as per the capacity/occupancy limit of the classrooms/Labs following COVID appropriate behavior. Since the circumstance differs from one school to another, the school timetable might be stumbled to try not to swarm in the study halls and at the school’s fundamental passageway/leave door. The mid-day breaks may likewise be stumbled to abstain from swarming. The blended mode of teaching learning process (online and offline) ought to be proceeded, according to the circular. Coronavirus Appropriate Behavior (CAB) ought to be completely continued in all schools, as indicated by the circular. “District Administration should be requested to properly cordon off the area of the vaccination/ration distribution/ testing centres running in schools to prevent intermingling of students with persons visiting these centres. In case, it is not possible to segregate such centres from the school, the District Authorities may be requested to shift such centres to any other suitable location. Further, the District Administration may be requested not to deploy teachers in COVID duties as they will be required in teaching-learning activities,” the circular said. Schools in the national capital re-opened for classes IX to XII on September 1 after a drawn out conclusion because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Hindustan Times